


Kim Sunggyu and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Season

by spicysoo



Category: Infinite (Band)
Genre: All of Infinite are girls except Sunggyu, Basketball AU!, EXO makes an appearance, Myungsoon has short hair, Rule 63, Sunggyu sucks at being a manager, The team doesn't help, This AU basically has male kpop groups being genderflipped except for their leaders, hints at other pairings - Freeform, lapslock
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-14
Updated: 2016-11-14
Packaged: 2018-08-30 23:22:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8553646
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spicysoo/pseuds/spicysoo
Summary: kim sunggyu knows he's not a very good manager because he chooses to be that way, especially since the team hasn't been very forthcoming towards him. however, certain events and people, especially a girl he doesn't want to admit having the hots for, puts a couple of things into perspective for him.





	

i

when sunggyu had signed up to be the manager for the girls' basketball team, doing his cousin, hoya - a girl with a flowery nickname, but not a flowery personality, a favor, he didn't know what to expect. because as much as he knew that it was a chance to work with some really hot girls - sue him, but he was eighteen and he still had pesky hormones to deal with and the basketball team was hot - and do an extracurricular activity that would require minimal work - writing down player stats and washing towels didn't seem like that bad of a gig either - he actually didn't know much about the sport. and what he didn't know about it, he had made assumptions on how things would go based on what he had seen on tv, but if he had actually known what the position had actually entailed, then he probably would have run for the hills the second that hoya had asked him to help. but since he hadn't known any better, he had quickly accepted the role without much thought... that had been mistake number one.

because after three days of being the manager for the girls' basketball team, he was quick to learn that the role had required a lot more work than he had thought. the role wasn't just washing towels and taking down stats, but it had included a variety of things like running errands for the team's crazy ass coach - ms. lee who literally took no one's shit, not even his, spying on the competition, hoping to god that he wouldn't be caught doing so, and also making sure that the team had healthy snacks and drinks for their practices and games. the last being something that should have been the easiest since it was pretty self-explanatory that he should stay on top of things so no one would become dehydrated or pass out from the lack of food, but with how much he was busy with everything else, he sometimes forgot such things. so as much as he had made assumptions about his role, he was wrong about a lot of them and he couldn't help but want to kick himself in the ass for it.

who knew that being the manager for one of the top teams in the country would be so tiring and difficult? 

sunggyu didn't and he was sure the others had thought the same, and the only reason that he was still around was because he didn't want to throw away his pride. especially when a lot of the girls weren't happy about what type of guy he was - lazy to the point that he was scum since he was the type of dude that would try to do as little as he could to produce maximum results. but with the way some of the girls would keep on giving him looks, daring him to quit because it was obvious that he wasn't going to make it with the way he was going, sunggyu couldn't help but put his feet in the mud and stick it out. because as much as the girls were probably right and that he wasn't manager material, he definitely didn't want to quit just yet. not because he actually liked the job, but because he didn't want to prove them right. 

they barely knew him and with how much trash talking that they did when it came to him, you'd think that sunggyu was the worst possible person to have the position - which wasn't true, but it wasn't like they were wrong either. but since he had decided to stay, he had found himself putting in a little more effort, but definitely not as much as the girls had wanted from him. so, despite doing his 'best,' he still had to get used to the harsh words that the girls would give him from time to time. never mind the abuse that wookyung would give him whenever he was being terribly awful - he couldn't exactly blame her, but he also couldn't bring himself to give them better results either. it was an odd balance of doing just enough to stay on the team, but not enough to help the girls out. 

however, despite the hardships, not everything was completely terrible. the girls were hot, especially that beautiful, serious one with the short dark hair - short due to necessity rather than choice - and the kindest smile that sunggyu had ever seen. because as much as the rest of the team would shit on him for being a lazy ass or slacking off when he shouldn't have been doing so, she usually stayed quiet or would give him kind words instead. almost as if she believed that he could do better, even if sunggyu wasn't ready to do such a thing. 

due to that kindness and the smile that she constantly wore, he couldn't help but develop a slight soft spot for her, even if he was finding it difficult to the like the rest of the team. he also didn't want to take too much of a chance on her either if she had ever decided to show a much uglier side of herself, because as much as she was kind, he couldn't help but wonder if she was truly that way. especially when everyone else on the team was obnoxious, annoying, and were prone to kicking his ass over ever liking him.

he may be nineteen, but he wasn't ready to give his heart away, especially to someone that could easily toss it around later on. 

ii

"oh... oh, fuck!"

thump.

thud.

thunk. 

"no way, no fucking - ah shit." sunggyu couldn't help but mutter as soon as he had realized what was going to happen. eyes suddenly squeezing themselves shut in response to the sound of boxes falling to the floor, many of them opening up to spill their contents onto the ground to recreate the mess that had been there a couple of hours ago - a mess that myungsoon and sunghwa had been cleaning up due to being tasked to do so by their coach, sunggyu couldn't help but feel a little bad. especially since the two girls had been cleaning up the club room for the past couple of hours. and with the women's team not having the same support as the men's basketball team, despite bringing home trophies and accolades, the girls actually having to do a lot of things themselves - cleaning included, sunggyu had went from helping the girls to burdening them instead. something of which he hadn't intended to do - at least not in front of myungsoon. 

damn where the hell did his gracefulness go?

a question that he already had an answer to, because as much as sunggyu had tried his best to not stare, he really couldn't help himself. and while it wasn't myungsoon's fault for looking as pretty as she did that day - short hair held back by a cute blue headband and the girl wearing some chic workout clothes that had accentuated her figure, sunggyu couldn't blame himself for being a bit of a man either. especially when myungsoon's legs and ass looked good in the shorts that she was wearing, sunggyu was unable to keep himself from staring due to being a bit of an assman that appreciated a good butt and myungsoon had a good butt. 

sunghwa's may have been perky, but it was too perky for him, while myungsoon's made his face turn a little red at the thoughts that had crossed his mind. he definitely didn't like her-like her, especially since she was his hoobae, but myungsoon had one of the best asses he had seen and he couldn't help but be thankful that she was almost seventeen to his nineteen years of age because he drew a line at anyone under sixteen.  

sunggyu may be nineteen, but he still had pesky hormones to deal with. 

"god damn it sunggyu! now we have to start all over again! hoya had mentioned you being a bit of a lazy fuck, but nowhere did she say that you were a clumsy fuck as well. and you've barely put any time and effort into this to begin with either... fucking hell, you're such a moron." sunghwa couldn't help but give as she pinched the bridge of his nose, obviously upset with what had just happened. she didn't even care that she was cussing out a senior and was showing bad manners, but with the way sunggyu had been doing his job - barely giving the team the bare minimum, sunghwa couldn't really bring herself to treat the older boy with respect. 

so unable to deal with the other and what had just happened, but knowing that she could get much worse if she had wanted to, sunghwa quickly turned to myungsoon to admit, voice angry, "if i stay here any longer, i'm probably going take his head, so i'm going to get hoya and sungyeon or anyone that can help us finish this and not give us shit for being slowpokes, alright?"

understanding what the other had to say, even though myungsoon knew sunggyu hadn't meant it and had just tripped, myungsoon gave the other a nod, silently telling her that it was okay to leave. it took seconds for sunghwa to get the hint, because as much as she was angry at the other boy, that didn't mean myungsoon had to be, especially since she knew the other girl to be just as klutzy and it'd probably be hypocritical of her to get angry or laugh or the usual things that people did when people messed things up by being clumsy. giving a sigh at the other girl's reaction, she was quick to give in, "will you be okay if i leave you here with him? he's kind of a bonehead and there's really no reason for you to stay if you want to come with me... all we have to do is make sure he doesn't touch anything else and knowing him, he'd probably gladly take that advice... so?"

shaking her head at sunghwa's words, myungsoon was quick to get rid of her worries, "i'll be fine, you go what you need to do, okay?"

hearing the 'go now before you do anything rash' and the 'he's just a guy, i'll be fine' in the girl's words, even if sunghwa wanted to smirk at the latter because as popular as myungsoon could be with guys, she was terribly hopeless with them as well, sunghwa decided to take her leave. but not before giving sunggyu a stare that said 'you better not fuck anything else up and if i hear anything from myungsoon about improper behavior, your face will meet my fist, got it?' it wasn't long before sunghwa was leaving the two alone, angrily muttering about boys being useless. 

two things that had easily caused sunggyu to simmer with anger, because one he wouldn't be doing anything to myungsoon despite how attractive she was - he wasn't a creep - and two, he was only selectively useless. there was a difference because he had chosen to be this way and if anything, it wasn't even his fault to begin with. but not wanting to make things worse or make myungsoon think that he was angry with her since she had done nothing to him so far, he could only unclench his fist and think happy thoughts.

while myungsoon, who couldn't help but turn a little pink at what sunghwa was saying, could only give a small sigh. but not wanting to let something like this create any more tension between sunggyu and the rest of the team, myungsoon found herself walking towards the other boy to extend a hand, cheeks tinged with pink,"sorry about sunghwa, she's not usually like that-"

gritting his teeth from spatting 'how is she usually like then,' sunggyu let myungsoon continue, "but are you okay, you didn't hurt yourself or anything?"

giving a small sigh of his own, trying to banish the anger that was still thrumming through him, especially since this wasn't his first fuck up of the day or the first time that he had gotten angry at himself or the team for making him do some shit that he didn't want to do - cleaning the girl's shower hadn't been his idea of a fun time or having to shake out dusty towels that weren't used for the past couple of months, sunggyu had found himself giving a snarky, "no, i'm just peachy, alright?" instead. 

only to kick himself for being an asshole to one of the only people that had been nice to him so far, he found himself unable to stop himself from silently watching myungsoon for any negative response. and negative response he got, because as much as he hadn't been trying to hurt her feelings, he could still see the girl's shoulders hunch in a bit, making her appear slightly smaller than before while her eyes suddenly found an interest in the floor, he quickly found himself scrambling to make amends. however, before he could get any words out, the girl was quick to shake her head, almost as if she was snapping herself out of something and most likely giving herself a mini pep talk as well, and recover.

now holding her head high with a soft smile on her face, she waited for him to grab her hand so she could help pull him up, "i'm glad you aren't hurt, because that was a pretty nasty fall, you know? but if you're okay, you think you're up to do some more work? o-oppa?" 

feeling his own cheeks flush a little bit at being called that, especially since the other had seemed just as embarrassed and shy after having said it - this being the most words that she had spoken to him as well and would be for a while, sunggyu couldn't help but grunt and look away. only for surprise to go through him at  how resilient the other girl was, something that was kind of attractive but could easily point to something a bit more sad, sunggyu quickly recovered and let the other help him off the floor. quick to dust off the dirt that had gotten onto his pants, as he let himself look the other in the eye, subconsciously noticing that as tall as myungsoon was, she was still a good five centimeters shorter than him, he managed to mutter, "yeah, let's do this." 

_not like i have much choice in the matter - why oh why did i take hoya up on her offer._  

iii

"hoya, your cousin sucks at being our manager." sungyeon quips as soon as sunggyu is out of earshot of them as their coach had given the young man something to do that wasn't him sleeping one of the bleachers as they practiced. the senior being someone that didn't take them or their sport seriously, despite how serious most of them were about the sport they played. especially since they wanted to honor previous teams by playing well due to the fact that it had taken years for the school and their community to take women's basketball seriously.

sure, some of the members would practice much more than others, but none of the girls had given less than a hundred percent and for some idiot manager to have the attitude that he did, it was annoying to see. for some, even angering and it wasn't like they were being mean to the other because they wanted to be bitches either. even if sunghwa and hoya could be right assholes when they had wanted to be, sunghwa especially. so for the other to barely do his job and look at basketball as if it was a chore and that it was something that shouldn't be taken seriously, it was not a wonder why most of the team were tough on him.

and more often than not, sunggyu didn't even do a good job at what he did since various members would have to pick up the slack, wasting time on things that they didn't need to be doing, just for the sake of the other girls. and while the girls could understand the senior not knowing certain things, they at least expected him to have a good attitude. but when all the other did was sleep, grumble about them being assholes, and do a half-fast job for most things, most didn't want to put the effort that they did for basketball or other things in life that they did for him. because why put effort into someone that wasn't going to put effort into you or the things that you loved?

the guy was infuriating and sungyeon couldn't help but be a little pissed.

"you don't have to remind me. i can see how much he sucks; it makes me regret ever asking him."  hoya could only reply, sighing as she did so. because as much as it had been her idea to convince her cousin to help them out, she hadn't expected this. especially when the other was a lot more attentive to school and his music... sadly, that work ethic was nonexistent for them. and with how stubborn the other could be, it wouldn't have surprised her if the guy was just being their manager to spite them. 

all it took was a couple of harsh words from a couple of the girls and all of a sudden, the guy had wanted to stick to them like glue, despite doing shit work. it was angering and yet, hoya couldn't even blame him because she probably would have done the same if she had been put into a similar position (they weren't cousins for nothing and after years of knowing the slightly older male, you just knew that sort of thing).

but the team had needed a manager that could do their job and do it well and when no one wanted to do that, even if the girls' team had constantly proven themselves to the rest of the school and community, maybe it was better to not have a manager at all. because sadly, girls' basketball wasn't supported like other teams were, despite how hard the girls had worked and how they had made sure to take home trophies every year. they had worked hard and they weren't even rewarded for it. and in some small, little way, hoya had thought that sunggyu wouldn't be like everyone else. 

god, her cousin sucked. 

"hoya, it's not your fault that your cousin's a dick. you were just trying to do us a favor, especially since no one else was going to offer themselves up for the position... seriously, you guys have given the school first and second place trophies every year and yet, we're barely a blimp on their radar... if we were men, this wouldn't even be a thing - we'd literally have people eating out of our hands, but because we were born women, we get shit like this." sunghwa couldn't help but mention, eyes dark and angry as she had went to take a shot from the free throw line. 

she may have been on the team for less than a couple of months, but it hadn't taken long to pick up on that sort of thing, especially since she and the other girls dealt with similar things every day.  it just stunk that the school board could have been paying attention to them, but were obviously too busy sucking up to the men's teams, despite some of them not being able to place or do as well as they did. it also didn't help that sunghwa wasn't a fan of men in the first place since she believed most of them to be complete assholes or that she was gay, but neither of those things were her fault and she shouldn't have to deal with people like sunggyu. especially since the team was a place to give them some sort of sanctuary from the male-oriented outlook that the school had on the daily. 

"girls, he's really not that bad... he just has to get used to-" 

"donghwa, you really don't need to stand up for him. we know he's a classmate of yours, but until he shows us differently, we're going to keep on treating him this way. either he gets enough and ends up quitting or he shapes up." wookyung interrupted, annoyance in her voice. 

sunggyu had been driving her up the wall and as much as wookyung tried to be understanding of the guy, he just rubbed her the wrong way. and with everyone else on the team seeing the other for who he was, donghwa shouldn't be standing up for him. especially when they were most likely empty words to begin with.

(most were not a saint like donghwa was.) 

"donghwa, you know how he is, so no need to convince us differently. he's shown his true colors since day one and unless he makes some changes, we aren't going to think differently." sungyeon said, quick to agree with wookyung.

donghwa, unable to stop herself from feeling the sting of the other girls' words, despite wookyung having just as much control over things that she did - the two of them co-captains for their team, she couldn't help but turn to the second youngest girl in their group - the only girl that hadn't been trash talking the other boy, "myungsoon, what do you think?" 

freezing up at the question, not expecting to get asked anything, especially since the others were supposed to know that she wasn't one for gossip, myungsoon couldn't help but drop the ball in hopes to get her bearings. she didn't know how to answer the question - at least the question that the other girls were silently asking, because as much as she had understood what the others were getting at, she couldn't help but feel like donghwa was right. especially since the girls hadn't been that forthcoming with their senior to begin with. so slow to grab the ball, trying to figure out what she should say without the others getting angry with her, myungsoon could only ignore the waiting looks as she finally picked up her ball.

taking a deep breath, steeling herself for the harsh words that were to come - not angry at her, but angry at the fact that her and donghwa may be right, she answered, "none of you have given him a chance... and you--" before stopping for a few seconds to take another breath, "hoya, have you even talked to him within the last couple of days?"

seeing none of them willing to answer - at least willing give her an answer that didn't have them trying to reason out their behavior, myungsoon couldn't help but shake her head in disappointment, "i know you guys just want the best for the team, but is treating sunggyu the way that you have been treating him truly the answer?" 

while donghwa, thankful for her words, for her courage to speak out like that, even if myungsoon didn't like rocking the boat, was quick to back her up, "myungsoon's right, is this truly how you want to treat him? or are you just frustrated?"

letting that question think in, donghwa found herself quickly pulling myungsoon away from the group, because as much as myungsoon needed to say that, just like donghwa had needed to call them out on their behavior as well, donghwa wasn't going to let the others tell the freshman off because they were frustrated. especially when the girl had played with them since middle school - myungsoon, one of the few middle schoolers that had gotten to play in the high school league, didn't need to deal with drama like that. the other girls wouldn't want their frustration and anger to drive myungsoon or anyone else away in the first place.  

iv

when sunggyu had found out that he was sitting next to myungsoon, the only girl besides his classmate, donghwa, that had treated him well. the younger girl usually being quite sweet to him, even if she didn't speak much, either being too shy or short of words - she hadn't spoken to him much since that one time he had made a fool of himself, he couldn't help but breathe out a sigh of relief of not having to sit with someone else and inwardly smile. because as much as sunggyu had kept the girls at an arm's distance, not wanting to like any of them - most of them being girls that he couldn't like in the first place due to them being quite cruel to him - he still couldn't help but feel a little fond of the younger girl. especially with how pretty she could be whenever she would smile at him, whether it was her lighting up at the fact that he would deliciously eat the snacks that she had made for the team or whenever something good would happen to her or the team.

because unlike sunghwa, who sunggyu swore was one of the bitchiest freshman that he had ever met, myungsoon was the complete opposite. not only was the girl kind - much kinder than the rest of the team, even donghwa who was probably a unicorn in a previous life, she was smart and humble and she liked to call him oppa. it was cute - almost sickening in a way since sunggyu hadn't expected for any of the girls on the team to call him that, he also liked it a lot as well. it made his heart swell a size or two bigger and it had even caused the perpetual frown on his face to go away too. 

donghwa had told him it was gross whenever he had done that, but he couldn't help it. myungsoon was really cute and sunggyu would have to be blind and an idiot to not be a little bit attracted to the younger girl. but even then, it wasn't like he had truly liked her that way or that she was someone that had truly liked him back either. she was nice because she was nice to everyone and sunggyu couldn't help but appreciate that. 

so, when myungsoon had asked during the ride home that night, voice soft and breath warm on his neck because the girl was sitting a little too close due to the small seats that they had been forced to share, "oppa, what made you decide to be our manager," sunggyu finds that he doesn't know how to answer her question.

well, he doesn't know how to answer that will cause her to not to be sad - because god, the girl could literally wear her heart on her sleeve.

but not wanting to ignore her, he eventually finds himself answering, voice shaky at first, "hoya asked me... but now? there are plenty of reasons for why i'm on it, but i don't think that i have the answer that you want."

while myungsoon, figuring that sunggyu was going to say that, even if she hoped he would have said something different, can only frown in response. short hair covering her eyes - almost as if she was trying to hide her disappointment, it isn't long before myungsoon's turning to the window, voice almost inaudible when she finally gives him a small apology.

an apology that she definitely did not need to give.

sunggyu finds himself shrugging in reply, "it's nothing you have done." 

_you really shouldn't blame yourself, because as much as the other girls suck, i haven't made it easy for them either._

v

if there was one thing that sunggyu had forgotten when it came to joining the team, it was having to deal with girls on their period. and while sunggyu was no stranger to it due to seeing his mother and sister having to deal with such womanly problems, it was much different with the team - much, much different. because unlike his sister and mother that dealt with that type of thing rather silently, only letting him or another family know when they absolutely had to, the team was a lot more vocal about things. especially when it came to talking about their cramps, their flows, and how regular they were - sunggyu felt like he didn't need to hear any of that, but with how vocal most of the girls were when it came to that sort of thing, it was unavoidable. especially since it seemed as if there was always one of the members asking another girl if they had any meds or feminine napkins on them.  

and while some were louder than others, it hadn't been long until sunggyu knew a little bit about that sort of thing for every girl on the team. a fact that sunggyu didn't want to know, but had to deal with anyway. because as much as sunggyu could be an asshole at times, he wasn't that much of a dick to complain about that sort of thing - girls were going to tell other girls their problems and if sunggyu happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time more often than not, there wasn't much he could do. especially since half the time, he could have easily slipped some earbuds in and listened to some music instead.

but then again, going with how loud some of the girls - no, sungyeon could be about her period - relatively light compared to most of the team - and her best friend, myungsoon's - who was probably the worst off with that sort of thing since the girl usually had to deal with some terrible cramps that would barely go away with meds, even the heavy-duty ones, it wasn't like sunggyu could get away with not knowing that sort of stuff. it was constantly there and while some girls were relatively quiet about the sort of thing, myungsoon and hoya usually never complaining unless one of them had forgot some meds or feminine napkins, sunggyu couldn't help but not know when half the time the girls would also throw boxes and pill bottles around. 

it was insane, but comparing everything that he had learned within the past couple of weeks to the things that guys had to deal with - awkward boners and the occasional dick scare - sunggyu couldn't help but have a little more respect for girls. hell, he had even become wary of some of the period jokes that guys liked to make when it came to that sort of thing. because as much as he had laughed at them before he had become the basketball team's manager, they didn't seem to be that funny anymore. especially when you had girls bringing heat packs and heavy duty meds to school so that they could deal with the pain a little better.

however, as much as sunggyu was getting used to the talk that was going on around him, becoming sympathetic and understanding in ways that he hadn't been before, sunggyu still couldn't help but draw the line at picking up pads and tampons for the girls. because as much as some of them liked to boss him around or threaten him, he just couldn't do such a thing - his masculinity would probably start crying if he did.

sunggyu drew the line at doing such a thing and he would uphold that line for all it was worth.

(the line didn't last very long, because two weeks later, he was roped into buying extra strength tylenol and pads for myungsoon, but not because myungsoon had said anything, but because sungyeon had a big mouth... but who was sunggyu kidding, if myungsoon would have asked him to grab her some things, he would have gladly gone. not because sunggyu liked her, in denial as he was, it was because myungsoon didn't complain, despite her having it the worst on the team.) 

vi

_"why are you even here? you constantly forget things, you can't even fill out the stats sheets correctly, you have girls picking up after you because you can't even do what you're supposed to do... why are you here? because from my standpoint, you obviously don't want to be here and you're not helpful at all! like we don't expect you to be as amazing as some of the other teams' managers or as good as perfect junmyeon there," wookyung yelled while pointing to a relatively short high schooler - the type of high schooler that had most likely gotten good grades because they studied well and hard, probably did a handful of extracurricular activities to bulk up their already perfect college resumes, and was probably seen as the child that everyone had wanted, sunggyu couldn't help but flinch a little, especially since it wasn't every day that wookyung would hand out compliments, "we're not expecting much - we're not expecting you to be perfect, but we at least expect you to support the team, but you haven't done that all. like why are you still here? like are you trying to get back at us for treating you like shit? are you angry that we don't compliment you whenever you do a good job - you don't - or suck up to you - what do we really need to suck up to - or call you out whenever you are lazy? like why are you here?"_

_words loud enough for everyone to hear - at least for the other team to hear, it isn't long before their coach is interrupting them, voice almost shrill as she yells, "wookyung, that's enough."_

_but even though wookyung's words were out of line, the coach wasn't exactly happy with sunggyu's behavior either, but that didn't mean wookyung should have said what she did or at the very least yell at sunggyu before half time even started. even if sunggyu wasn't the best manager the girls could have, he was better than nothing and the coach wasn't going to remove him from his position unless he had truly done something that would warrant it._

_being lazy and occasionally forgetting things were problems, but they weren't worthy enough for sunggyu to be fired. especially when her girls hadn't been that great to the young man in the first place and were the reason for why sunggyu wasn't doing a good job._

_however, instead of shutting up like she should have done, especially when they had gotten the attention of the other team, wookyung couldn't help but say before taking a seat, scowl on her face, "coach, it's not like i said anything that wasn't true."_

frowning at the scene that had kept on repeating itself in his head, a scene that had spoken truth - a truth that sunggyu didn't really want to put much stock into, he still couldn't help but feel bad at having been called out like that. even if wookyung had been a little out of line with what she had said, the girl only saying it because she had needed to lash out at someone and sunggyu had been her best choice. she had taken her frustration out on him because she was angry at the fact that she had received four fouls within the first two quarters and had to have been taken out, but even then, it wasn't like he didn't deserve her words or frustration either. especially since he was still prone to giving the girls trouble and would half-fast a lot of things. 

even now, he had screwed up. because as soon as half time had started, he was forced to go to a nearby vending machine to buy some sports drinks for the girls as he had forgotten the extra cases of sports drinks for what was his fourth time within the past three weeks. and as much as he could have said it had been an honest mistake, it probably wasn't as his subconscious was most likely doing it on purpose. it was probably his own little way at getting back at wookyung and the other girls. because as nice as donghwa and myungsoon were, he still had the rest of the team to deal with and just because two of the team's members were nice to him, that didn't mean that he wasn't pissed at how the others had treated him. even if some of the stuff that they had said was in their right and were things that he deserved, especially if one compared him to the other managers within the league. 

because in comparison to them, he truly was a lazy ass and he really was doing the team no favors by staying on it. especially since everything that wookyung had mentioned was true in one way or another. he couldn't really cook, so myungsoon had to take care of the half time snacks, while cleaning may have been something that he could do, but he didn't have to that often. and when it came to spying on other teams or filling out the team's stats books, taking note of each player's plays and fouls, he wasn't very good at that either... he could be better, a lot better at those things than he was, but he didn't want to try. because why try for a team that had hated him? 

even hoya was starting to like him less and as much as the two were prone to getting in fights here and there, sunggyu knew he was being an ass much more than usual. and hoya was just being a bitch to compensate for that. if anything, wookyung had said what needed to be said, even if sunggyu didn't want to believe it. 

unable to stop himself from giving a sigh, sunggyu couldn't help but almost jump out of his skin a moment later when the manager from the other team had come by to stand behind him, his voice soft as he interrupted sunggyu's thoughts, "you know, you have a good team, one of the best in the league and while i won't claim to know what your situation is... i still can't help but feel like i should say something. especially since i had expected for you to be a better manager than what you've been showing the rest of the league, especially since your girls deserve better."

wanting to glare at the other, suddenly annoyed by what the other was saying, almost as if junmyeon was judging him in a way that he had never been judged before, sunggyu couldn't help but spat, "how do they deserve better? because with how they've treated me, they barely deserve me."

hearing the other laugh, almost as if what sunggyu said was funny, junmyeon could only give, "you have no idea how good those girls are, do you?"

not wanting to answer that question, especially since sunggyu didn't - he only knew the difference between absolutely terrible and good, he could only allow the other to fill him in, "kim myungsoon may be just a freshman, but she's been playing for your girls for two years now. most know her for shooting skill - she has a gift for making three pointers and unlike most freshman in the league, she already has scouts looking at her. while jang donghwa? she probably has the best tactical eye in the league and everyone knows that she's going to university for basketball. then there's wookyung's jumping power, despite her small stature. sungyeon, sunghwa, and your cousin hoya are just as good with skills that set them apart, but compliment their team, so to see you failing them as a manager... it's quite terrible to see to be honest. so yes, they deserve better. "

unable to stop himself from getting angry, especially since he was literally being spoon fed information that he should have known, sunggyu was unable to stop himself from spatting, "what would you know, your team probably respected you as soon as they saw you."

while junmyeon could only give him a smile and a shrug, "if you think that, then you're sorely mistaken because quite a few were not happy to have me as their manager either, but luckily i'm very good at my job. but this isn't about me, it's about you and i really can't stand seeing you give the manager's position a bad name. especially when the manager's position is a very important position among the team and while you might think that it's just doing chores and the occasional scouting, you're there to help the girls stay focused on the task at hand. and if the girls are worrying over things that aren't related to basketball, then that's a problem... a problem that any manager would be able to get and do something about, not do something that would make it worse." 

"junmyeon, what are you trying to tell me here, because i don't get where you're coming from... it's - it's just basketball - a stupid sport."

(it really wasn't, even if he didn't care for it much, but he couldn't take something like that back... he's just lucky no one else was here to hear him say that.)

seeing junmyeon give him a harsh look, something that he would have never expected to see on the other manager, despite not knowing him that well, he couldn't help but flinch when the other finally replied: 

"it's not a stupid sport to them and if you had any idea what those girls have to deal with when it comes to the sport that they love, then you wouldn't be saying that... do you even realize what the girls have to deal with? because as much as your girls may get trophies, just like my girls do, i'm sure your girls go through just as much shit - some maybe even more than my girls do. whether it is dealing with harsh, almost unattainable expectations from others or having to deal with the fact that as much as they're nationally ranked, their school probably doesn't care for them as much as their other teams - male teams at that, they probably have to deal with quite a bit of shit. and as their manager, you're supposed to support them and help take off some of that stress they feel off by making sure that things are running smoothly and that they can focus on the things that matter, not the things that don't." 

mouth agape and unable to find the words to explain himself to the other male, sunggyu could only let the other continue -  a feeling he was slowly getting used to, "i don't know what to say to you that would get you to see what the girls are seeing when they see you, what others in the league see you as, because you seem like a very stubborn person and once you're set in your ways, you aren't one to change unless something literally forces you too. and my words, they won't be doing that. but i can at least make you think - it's the least that i can do, especially for some of the girls on your team. but you should really try watching your girls and seeing what they do - how much work and effort they put into the sport they love, because obviously, you haven't been watching them hard enough and if you were, you wouldn't be acting like this. so instead of closing your eyes, try opening them instead, because maybe, just maybe, you'll finally see something important."

not knowing how to answer or to even explain himself after something like that, sunggyu was luckily spared from doing so when the two of them heard someone call junmyeon away. sunggyu could only watch the other tell him that he had needed to go and that he'd see him on the court, even if he didn't want to, it was a second later that junmyeon was gone. but despite having left, his words, just like wookyung's words were still present. and despite himself, he could only think about what the two of them had said. 

while in a room about thirty feet away, donghwa could only give junmyeon a hug, thanking him for what he had just done. because as much as junmyeon hadn't liked what the other manager had been doing, he wouldn't have said anything unless someone - a close friend, had asked him to. 

vii

thunk! thunk! swish~ 

thunk! thunk! swish~

ears twitching at the familiar sound of someone bouncing a basketball, most likely coming from where the direction of the gym - one of the newer ones, sunggyu couldn't help but wonder who it was. especially since it was well past the team's usual practice hours and looking at his watch - 21:08 - it was quite late as well. too late for most of the girls, so figuring it had to be someone from the guy's team, sunggyu wondered if it wouldn't hurt to look, to check out the competition so to say. because as much as sunggyu had seen the girls play, he had never seen any of the boys play due to them constantly hogging one of the better gyms that the school held and just being too busy to even duck out to do so.

quickly finding himself close enough to the sound, easily able to make out the amount of shots that the other person was making - the person seeming to have a one hundred percent rate at making them, sunggyu could only grin when he got to one of the doors and slipped inside. only to blanch at what he was seeing, almost tripping over himself and making his presence known, something of which he wouldn't have wanted, he luckily caught himself before doing so. but not after catching a glimpse of myungsoon practicing her shots, making every one of them - some from the three-point line, while others a couple of feet beyond that, sunggyu had found himself a little mesmerized - a lot more than usual.

seeing the other girl's form - perfect from years of practice, it was truly a sight to behold. because as much as he had been able to catch glimpses of it during games - at least the ones that he had sort of paid attention to, this was much different... actually, the longer he watched, it was kind of scary as well. because for every shot the girl missed, she forced herself to make five to make up for it, almost as if she wasn't allowed to miss at all, forcing herself to churn out shots like a machine. it was amazing to see how much skill the girl had, but seeing her drenched with sweat and barely taking a break - sunggyu wasn't used to seeing others devote themselves this much to something they loved. if anything, part of it may not even be due to her devotion to the sport, but something else entirely.

but what?

now, hiding behind a set of bleachers, unable to stop himself from watching the younger girl continue what she had been doing, sunggyu almost jumped out of his skin when someone came up to tap his shoulder. almost choking at the hand that had wrapped itself around his mouth, fear running through him at the odd gesture, sunggyu could only sigh in relief when he had finally noticed who it was, only for his face to turn white when his mind had caught up to what he was seeing - realizing who was holding him and what was in store for him because of that. 

"if you make one peep, i'll rip your balls off, you got it?"

damn it, why did it have to be wookyung to be the one that caught him?

silently nodding, suddenly afraid for his family jewels because he wouldn't be surprised if wookyung was deadly serious, especially after how much anger she had been holding onto for the past couple of weeks, sunggyu could only do what she had said.

allowing her to pull him back and out the gym door, pulling him away from where myungsoon had been, he couldn't help but gasp for breath as soon as she had let him go, sunggyu catching himself on his hands and knees. breathing heavily, he barely managed to give, "wookyung, the fuck?"

while wookyung could only shrug, voice sweet in a way that wasn't sweet, "did you not deserve it?" 

unable to stop himself from glaring at the girl, he was quick to get off his feet so that he could stand at his full height - a height that almost had him towering over the other girl, he hoped it would give him some leverage. but instead of being cowed by the gesture, she just narrowed her eyes, "so you going to explain to me why you were there? or am i just going to call you a stalker and be done with - oh wait, that's probably the best idea i've had, maybe now i and the others can finally get rid of you!"

scowling at the other's words, at the joke which probably wasn't a joke at all, sunggyu could only spat, "that's not funny, especially since it's coming from you." 

giving him a harsh grin, she could only reply, "i'm a riot, but that's beside the point. the point here is that you were doing something that you shouldn't have been doing, especially since you don't even like basketball. so why spend your time watching myungsoon practicing when you should be at home, lazing about on your couch, being unproductive to society."

feeling like he was going to get nowhere, especially since he was sure that wookyung wouldn't allow him to leave without getting him to talk, sunggyu had found himself letting go of some of his anger, he gave, "i didn't realize myungsoon was there, i thought it may have been a member from the boys' team. i've never really seen them play and my curiosity was piqued... is that a problem?"

"that doesn't explain why you were there for over thirty minutes watching my girl play?"

surprise going through him at her words, especially since he had thought he had only been there for a few minutes, sunggyu couldn't help but be shocked when he noticed the time on his watch - 20:49. god, he really had been watching myungsoon for a long time... no wonder wookyung was looking at him as if he was a creep - that was really creepy behavior... he should have been better than that.  

"jeez, i didn't realize - i had thought i had only been there for a few minutes, not thir - wait a minute, if i had been there for thirty, how long has she been practicing? practice ended hours ago and she didn't even take a break while i was there, has she even taken a break? does she do this every night or was this a rare thing? hell, do other girls practice as hard as her... is this because she has scouts looking at her, despite being a fresh-"

"shut up, shut up, shut up. you don't get to ask questions, especially when you've barely given a damn about this team in the first place. i don't have to tell you anything, i don't need to explain anything to you, because if you really cared for this team, you would have noticed these things earlier."

suddenly feeling terrible - more terrible than he had the last time that wookyung had yelled at him - the time when junmyeon had talked to him as well, sunggyu didn't know how to answer. because weeks ago he wouldn't have cared, even if he had been fond of myungsoon. he just hadn't cared for the team or the sport, but somehow, he couldn't help but feel like he was starting to care, that maybe he could bring himself to care about the team if he would stop doing what he was doing and actually put his all into the position that he held.

wookyung and junmyeon had been right - maybe he should stop playing around?

maybe he needed to, because after witnessing myungsoon work that hard and if there were other members on the team that were doing the same thing, then he couldn't help but feel like a complete ass. these girls were literally going above and beyond and were dealing with things that he had no clue about, and yet, he had wanted to stay stupid and make things worse for them. god, this made him even more of a jerk, didn't it? 

what an epiphany to have and in front of wookyung no less.

but instead of getting angry at him and trying to tell him off like last time, sunggyu was surprised to hear wookyung say, voice daring him to stop being the idiot that he was and prove himself to her and the rest of the team, "you finally get it now? you finally get why we're so fucking hard on you? we're fucking hard on ourselves, some more than others and myungsoon? she's probably the hardest on herself because we don't have to deal with the pressure that she deals with, despite being one of the youngest members on the team. we may love to play basketball, but myungsoon's the only one that has a shot at going pro and people notice that. whether it's her family, her friends, or the stupid scouts that are scouting her already - pro league ones at that, they notice how good myungsoon is and myungsoon doesn't want to let any of them down, so she fucking practices. just like the rest of us practice in our free time, but unlike her, we won't be going pro and will most likely end our basketball careers in university.

"so for all the times that we were hard on you, it wasn't because we had wanted to be bitches, but it was due to you being insulting to us since day one. if you hadn't been as lazy as you were, constantly taking naps or complaining about the chores that we had given you, or you talking shit about basketball from time to time, but still being our manager despite how much you dislike the sport, we probably would have treated you better. but that's not the point here, the point here is that i saw you creeping on myungsoon and unless you have a good reason for why you did so, i will go to coach and i will make sure that you're gone from this team for good, you hear me. because as much as coach hasn't fired you yet, this definitely will."

gulping at the other's words, but knowing that he needed to explain himself - to tell her that he wasn't going to be such a fuck up anymore, especially since he couldn't do that anymore after everything he had learned today, he was finally able to admit, "i-i... i wasn't trying to be a creeper or a stalker or anything like that, i just didn't realize that so much time had passed - i got caught up in myungsoon's amazingness... god, i never realized how amazing she was before this and i just couldn't stop, i wasn't trying to be a creeper i swear... but during that time - no, right now, i realize what i need - no want to do. i want to make things better for the team, i want you guys to stop seeing me as the menace that you guys see me as - i want to take things seriously and while i don't know much about basketball or really care for it before, i can't help but want to learn more about it so that i can be a better manager... i want to apologize, to make things up to you guys in some odd-"

now wookyung feeling surprised, especially since she had thought that sunggyu would still be stupid about everything that had been happening, she couldn't stop herself from asking, "are you fucking kidding me? do you really think that?"

"no - i'm not, i'm not kidding at all. i'm being serious-"

but unable to believe what sunggyu was saying yet, wookyung couldn't have stopped the harsh bark of laughter if she tried. she had never thought that she'd hear something like that from the older boy, but hearing him now, actually being sincere with his words as well, she couldn't help but laugh. because as much as he was being sincere in his words, wookyung couldn't take them at face value just yet - she wouldn't. 

but before she could even tell sunggyu that she didn't like his excuse and that she was still going to tell their coach about what had happened, unless sunggyu could truly prove to her that he was being serious, neither of the two had expected for donghwa to interrupt them with a wide smile on her face, "sunggyu, you really mean that?" 

jumping in surprised because donghwa was literally behind him, the girl's stare drilling holes into his back, he could only give her a small nod. while donghwa could only smile wider in response, "if you can tell that to the other girls, then you can stay in, you got that?"

"donghwa-"

"wookyung, this is non-negotiable, so don't try to argue with me. especially when we don't have the time to try and find a new manager and unless you have someone in mind, sunggyu can stay. he's obviously had a change of heart and i'm not going to deny him a second chance, got it?"

feeling herself deflate at donghwa's demeanor, wookyung could only mutter, "got it... but it doesn't mean i have to like it." 

while donghwa could only give wookyung a soft look in response as she was quick to give her an olive branch, "if sunggyu doesn't shape up by tomorrow and no, he doesn't have to be the perfect manager just yet, he can have some breathing room as he gets used to actually doing his job, but if he's still as shitty as he has been a couple of weeks from now, then we can figure out a way to get rid of him, alright?"

"i understand."

while sunggyu, confused by the sudden placement of events, could only watch as the two girls talked for a few more minutes, almost as if they didn't deem his presence important anymore, it wasn't long before wookyung had decided to leave the two alone to go check up on myungsoon, that sunggyu couldn't help but give donghwa a clueless look. while donghwa could only give him a small smile response, "i hope to see better from you in the next couple of days... prove to me that my or myungsoon's trust in you isn't worth breaking, alright?"

even more confused - god, why the hell was he so confused by all of this, sunggyu could only stutter, "m-myungsoon?"

"yes, myungsoon, she's always been rooting for you, so don't screw up, okay?" 

he hadn't expected that to come from donghwa's mouth, but with how kind myungsoon was, it also didn't surprise him either. even if she should have been angry at him like all the other girls had been - at least a little bit. but not wanting to throw away the gift that he had just been given, sunggyu found himself giving one last nod. because as much as some of his words could have been taken out of his ass, he couldn't go back on them now. not when myungsoon and donghwa - but mostly myungsoon, believed that he could be better. 

_man, i have a lot of work to do, don't i?_

viii

ring... ring... 

"hi, this is junmyeon's wife, jungda, how may i take your message?" 

suddenly confused by the girl's voice that was coming from what he thought was a man's phone, only to realize the girl had mentioned being junmyeon's wife, did sunggyu gather his bearings a bit. he can only start, "hello, i'm sunggyu, i'm just calling to talk to junmyeon about some thi-"

"junmyeon, there's this guy named sunggyu on the phone, it seems important!"

wincing at how loud the other was, so loud that she could probably put any one of the girls on his team to shame, sunggyu could only wait patiently as the girl on the phone was quickly replaced by someone else - most likely junmyeon, "sorry about that, jungda's easily excitable and seems to think that she can pick up my phone whenever she wa-"

"hey, you said you didn't mind!"

"i usually don't, but i'm sure sunggyu-"

"is that the guy that's in charge of myungsoon's team? because if he is, can you tell him to have her switch schools and play for us instead? girl's going to stress herself out by worrying about that bag of dicks... she doesn't need that, you know?"

eyes widening in shock as he heard another person's voice - another female, this one even louder than the last, he can only stay silent as he hears junmyeon give a sigh, "sorry, sunggyu, they don't mean that," before the other male is turning his attention away from his phone to scold the two, "baekhee, jungda, what did i tell you about opening your big fat mouths?"

"ummm, not to?" sunggyu hears baekhee answer, only for the girl to get defensive, "but he's the shitty manager!"

while jungda can only come to her friend's aid, "junmyeon, baekhee wasn't trying to be mean, she was just telling the truth like always. you can't scold us for being truthful!" 

"i don't care if you guys were truthful or not, but this is not the time or the way to do this sort of thing. plus, we're in the in the middle of practice and both of you need to be practicing, alright?"

tuning the groans out, now stuck on the fact that it wasn't just junmyeon or his team that had thought he was a bad manager, but his team as well, never mind the fact that there are probably other teams thinking the same thing, sunggyu barely heard junmyeon over his thoughts, "hey, sunggyu, i'm really sorry about that. you didn't need to hear that... well, maybe you did, but not like that. you're really not that bad, you're just rough around the edg-"

"i know, i know i suck. i don't need you tell me that..." sunggyu interrupted, his hand gripping the phone even tighter, it was seconds later did sunggyu gain the courage to ask, "i was calling to ask about tips... tips on how to be a better manager. i may only have the rest of the season left, but i don't want to be the manager that everyone thinks is shit anymore... myungsoon - no, my team doesn't need that." 

hearing the other take in a shocked breath, sunggyu eventually heard, "well, okay then, where do you want to start?" 

while sunggyu could only pull out a small notebook with a list of questions. 


End file.
